Pandemonium (Cards)

User summary: Characters have Statistics (Attributes) including Body (Hearts), Dexterity (Diamonds), Knowledge (Spades), Aura (Clubs), and Weapon Skill (no suit). Statistics have a point value ranging from 2-6, distributed from a point pool during build. Characters have Skills that have a point value distributed from a pool during build. Skills are based on Statistics. When actions are attempted, the Skill is used if there are any points in it, otherwise the Statistic underlying the Skill is used. The Skill value is equal to the Statistic points plus the Skill points allocated. The maximum Skill points in a Skill is 10, so the maximum Skill value is 16. When a non-trivial action is attempted, the player must play a card of the suit corresponding to the Statistic that is equal to or less than the Skill (or Statistic) value. On opposed actions the opponent playing the highest card wins. Combat uses a different mechanism that involves card color (black/red) but not suit. Combat is based on the Weapon Skill Statistic and, possibly, a Skill in the actual weapon used (e.g., "longsword", "axe", "bow", etc.). The game rules also provide optional rules that add complexity and variability to combat.